I. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of carburetors for internal combustion engines and, in particular the present invention is concerned with carburetors for internal combustion engines including a fuel vaporizing device to vaporize a portion of the fuel consumed by the engine.
II. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years there has been a deep concern by the public for conservation of energy and in particular the conservation of gasoline consumed by automobiles. In addition there has been the requirement mandated by law to reduce exhaust emissions. In a conventional carburetor for gasoline engines fuel is aspirated by the flow of air through the throat of the carburetor and small droplets of gasoline are dispersed in the air and introduced to the engine combustion chamber where they are burned. The fuel droplets are randomally sized and the larger droplets do not completely burn in the combustion process and cause incomplete combustion, a loss of fuel economy, and contribute to pollutants in the engine exhaust. Vapor engines are known wherein the fuel is vaporized by heating before being mixed with incoming air. Vapor engines improve the engine's combustion efficiency, but often result in unstable combustion and a loss of power due to the high temperature of the fuel-air mixture entering the engine combustion chambers. Examples of vaporized fuel systems for internal combustion engines are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.: 4,003,356; 3,817,233; 3,892,211; 3,951,124; 3,653,643; 3,496,919; 2,982,528; 2,064,217; 1,997,497; and 1,980,496. These patents are relevant to the present invention in that they represent the closest prior art for utilizing vaporized fuel in conjunction with an internal combustion engine to maximize the efficiency of the internal combustion engine.